With the New Year beginning for Sigma Chi’s 241 undergraduate chapters, the Fraternity can look back at a 2011 calendar year that included many accomplishments. The most notable achievements of the Fraternity and its members in the last year include:

1.

The Initiation of the Fraternity’s 300,000th member: When the chapter at the University of Virginia initiated Nick Cafero, 2014, in April, Sigma Chi became the first of the 75 North-American Interfraternity Conference organizations to reach an all-time membership total of 300,000.

2.

Rutgers Derby Days: The chapter at Rutgers University raised $167,000 during its Derby Days philanthropic event. Sigma Chi undergraduate chapters donated $1,709,330.32 to charities and participated in 171,633.5 community service hours in the 2010-11 school year.

3.

First Canadian International Sweetheart: Sydney Binnington of the University of Western Ontario was named the Fraternity’s 32nd International Sweetheart and the first Canadian International Sweetheart in Fraternity history.

4.

Grand Officer elections: Dennis Santoli, CASE WESTERN 1967, was elected 67th Grand Consul in June, while Mike Greenberg, ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 1982, became the new Grand Pro Consul and Tommy Geddings, SOUTH CAROLINA 1985, the new Grand Quaestor.

5.

100th anniversary of The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi song: The creation of the famed serenade song, The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi, was celebrated in October at Albion College in Albion, Mich.

6.

Noteworthy installations: The Fraternity re-installed the chapters at the University of Chicago and the University of Rhode Island in March and December, respectively. The Chicago chapter had been absent since its 1952 suspension, while the Rhode Island chapter returned from its 1996 suspension.

7.

Wolf Entrance dedication: On September 9, the back entrance at Sigma Chi International Headquarters was dedicated to former Headquarters staffers Joanne and Joe Wolf, NORTHWESTERN 1974, who worked at Headquarters for a combined 55 years. Joanne passed away Sept. 25, 2011.

Balfour LTW site change: In November 2011, the Balfour Leadership Operation Board approved the move of the 2012 Balfour LTW to Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., following three consecutive workshops that were hosted at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

10.

Fraternity GPA improves: The Fraternity’s undergraduate-chapter GPA increased to 2.99 on a 4-point scale for the 2010-11 school year. In the year prior, Sigma Chi undergraduates earned a 2.97.

To view the full story and see top stories 6 through 10, please click here.

For the first time since 2008, Sigma Chi’s Balfour Leadership Training Workshop will be at a site other than the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. The Balfour Leadership Operating Board approved that the workshop will be hosted by Purdue University in 2012 and 2013 at its November meeting.

The 2012 Balfour LTW will take place Aug. 2-5 in West Lafayette, Ind.

Grand Council will also experience a site change for the first time since 2008. The 2012 Grand Council will be in downtown Cleveland at the Cleveland Renaissance Hotel from June 29 to July 1.

The 2008 and 2010 Grand Councils were hosted at the DoubleTree by Hilton Chicago-North Shore Conference Center in Skokie, Ill. The 2006 Grand Council was hosted by Purdue University.

The application for the summer 2012 Horizons leadership program is available now. Horizons is Sigma Chi's challenging and proven leadership program specifically created for Sigma Chi freshmen and sophomores who are eager and willing to improve themselves and the world around them. Hosted each summer in Snowbird, Utah, Horizons provides undergraduates with a six-day immersion in whole-brained learning that engages both mind and body. Horizons is facilitated throughout four sessions in June and July, with a cumulative total of 192 undergraduate spots available.

All applications to participate in Horizons must be submitted by Feb. 3, 2012. Chapter officers are encouraged to pass along Horizons application materials to those brothers who will have two years of undergraduate study remaining as of June 1, 2012.
Learn more about Horizons at sigmachi.org/horizons.

Questions about the program and the application process should be directed to Greg Morgan, director of leadership programs, at (847) 869-3655, ext. 259, or horizons@sigmachi.org.

For the second year in a row, the Fraternity will award the undergraduate chapter that signs up the most Life Loyal Sigs over the duration of the past school year with The Henning Award. This unique award honors the undergraduate chapter that has the highest percentage of new undergraduate Life Loyal Sig recruits in accordance with its chapter’s size.

The winning chapter will receive a plaque during Balfour Leadership Training Workshop, along with a $1,000 scholarship to be spent for educational or recruitment purposes.

The award is a tribute to 18th Grand Consul William C. “Pop” Henning, DEPAUW 1890, who is most commonly known for leading the Fraternity through the difficult years of the World War I era, and for being the first Life Loyal Sig.

To become a Life Loyal Sig, please visit lifeloyalsig.org. If you have any questions regarding the program or the award, please contact John Loes, director of membership programs, at (847) 869-3655, ext. 218, or john.loes@sigmachi.org.

Risk Management Foundation requires worksheets be turned in by April 30, 2012

The Risk Management Foundation (RMF) will be combining the total insured value (TIV) process with the property program renewal estimates, which will be distributed via email in April. In mid-April, the TIV worksheets and property program renewal estimates will be sent with instructions on how to update the worksheets for the 2012-13 program year.

Completed worksheets will be due April 30, 2012. All chapters and house corporations in the property program must return a signed TIV worksheet.

This information will be delivered to the following officers of chapters and house corporations that participate in the RMF property program: Consuls, Quaestors, risk managers, chapter advisors, house corporation presidents, house corporation treasurers, financial advisors, RMF contacts, Grand Praetors and Grand Trustees. As we have done the last two years, the RMF is pleased to offer renewal estimates in time to prepare fall budgets.

Risk Management Foundation (RMF) statements for chapters on the monthly payment plan will receive invoices during the first week of January and payment is due Jan. 15. Please note that the monthly payment plan incurs a 1-percent finance charge. In addition, late payments are subject to late fees. Chapters on the half payment plan will receive their final statements by the first week of February. The final RMF payment is due Feb. 15, 2012. Please note that late payments are subject to late fees.

Alumni chapter/association annual reports and dues are due by Feb. 15, 2012. The dues are $200 and are now payable online. The annual report is available here. You will click the link 'Alumni Chapter/Association Annual Report Form', log in and submit the report. Unless absolutely necessary, we ask that all reports and dues be submitted online this year.

Even though this is not a Grand Chapter-year, chapters will be prohibited to vote in 2013 if they do not file the report and pay the annual dues. For any further questions or clarification on submitting the report or paying the dues online, please contact Mike McFadden, director of alumni services, at (847) 869-3655, ext. 254, or mike.mcfadden@sigmachi.org.

Despite efforts made by the Sigma Chi International Fraternity Headquarters staff to notify all chapters of the need to file a tax form 990 to maintain non-profit tax status, many active chapters have had their federal employer identification number revoked for failure to do so three years in a row.

This status is required to reinstate this number in order to maintain the charter of the chapter. Click here to download a list of chapters who have lost non-profit status, sorted by state. Additionally, if your chapter appears on this list, the Internal Revenue Service has provided a video on how to reinstate your chapter's non-profit tax status.

The application for Balfour Leadership Training Workshop faculty for 2012 is now available. Those wishing to apply can do so here. The 2012 Balfour LTW will be Aug. 2-5, 2012, at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.

If you have previously served on faculty, and would like to serve again in 2012, we ask that you complete the “contact information” portion of the application so we have your most up-to-date information.

Current Issue

On the coverSignificant SigJames Grimaldi, MISSOURI-COLUMBIA 1984

In this issue of
The Magazine of Sigma Chi,
we highlight James Grimaldi, who, in 2006, joined the exclusive group of Sigs who have received the Pulitzer Prize.